


The Importance of Flowers

by ObsessionWithDetection



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-23 06:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/619193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsessionWithDetection/pseuds/ObsessionWithDetection
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by this work on tumblr: http://ionlydogpaddle.tumblr.com/post/39053922363/thorin-and-bilbos-bromance-is-my-favorite-3</p>
<p>(Prompt fill?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Importance of Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place around chapters 8 and 9 of The Hobbit.

“It would be unwise to stray too far from the path, Mr. Baggins.” 

The company had stopped for another respite, feeling so worn down and tired, not to mention their loss of energy due to the thought that they would never emerge alive from this dreadful forest. They still had no idea that they were very close to the edge of the terrible Mirkwood forest, and Bilbo’s earlier venture to the tops of the trees and back down again with seemingly dreadful news had them all in quite the slump. Bilbo had not been able to see the edge of the forest when he had poked his head out from the top of the trees branches, but the edge was in sight, just not from the hobbit’s perspective. If they had thought more deeply about it, they would have taken the increasingly normal shrubbery as a sign of the exit being nearer, but instead they simply enjoyed the change in scenery. 

Bilbo, in fact, had been enjoying the change in scenery so much he had started to pick the wild flowers that were starting to spring up along the outer-edges of the path they were following. He was picking the flowers in part because he enjoyed gathering them, and partly to escape Bombur’s loud complaining about the lack of food, as it was only causing him to become that much hungrier. 

This brings us back to the present, the hobbit nearly dropping his bundle of neatly collected flowers at the sound of their company’s leader’s low voice coming from behind him. 

“Yes, I know. But we have spent such a long time in the dark surround by only vile smelling plants and animals that would kill us given the chance that I thought these flowers were much too good to just pass up. I have kept the company in sight, and will not wander much further than this.” Bilbo had turned to address Master Thorin Oakenshield, and felt a little embarrassed to have his carelessness pointed out in such a fashion. 

“And for what do you stray from the path for but flowers? Here in this most evil of places, what is the point of gathering things so useless? They cannot even be eaten or used for spices.” Thorin himself would not state why he was here questioning the hobbit, but secretly he too wished a respite from the loud complaints of Bombur.

Bilbo paused for a moment, becoming even more embarrassed to have his motives questioned in such a direct way. “I felt it was a great opportunity that might not arise again, and these flowers might serve as a bit of cheer and comfort if we are plunged into darkness once more.”

“Comfort is not a thing I believe any of the rest of us expected on this journey, but I can see your point since the company has been in such awful spirits due to this unending and vile forest. Yet I do not see a way for you to keep these flowers, other than to continue on carrying them in your hands, which would make you entirely useless.” As opposed to just mostly useless, the Dwarf thought to himself but held his tongue and did not express that thought aloud.

This troubled Bilbo for a moment, and he thought about a solution to this problem aloud, though he was not addressing Thorin directly. “If I had a nice book of some sort to press the flowers in, they might keep fairly well. But alas I have no such thing, and do not think that anyone should have such an object on an adventure such as this.”

“That is where you are wrong, hobbit.” Thorin interrupted, and Bilbo was completely surprised by the interruption of his thinking aloud. “I myself carry such an object, a book that is very dear to me.” From within his many layers Thorin produced what seemed to be a water-safe pouch and from this pouch he presented a mighty fine book indeed. It was a book of Dwarfish origin, a book that told of their histories and spoke mostly of the great kingdom under the Lonely Mountain, Erebor. 

Now, among his many unmentioned talents Bilbo also had a vast knowledge of written languages, though he could not speak most of them very well at all, he could read them. And as most know the hobbit had a passion for books, especially those that are old and sacred which tell of the stories of those long passed. Bilbo did not even need to say the words; Thorin could see the wonder, the respect, and the question in Bilbo’s eyes as plain as day. Thorin handed the book to the hobbit, who resisted the urge to jump with excitement and whose eyes seem to glow whilst gazing upon the book. 

And so they sat, Bilbo marveling at the book and reading bits and pieces of the history of Erebor, while Thorin watched him and enjoyed the peaceful silence here along the edge of the path away from the complaining of his hungry and tired fellow dwarves. The book was not a very large one, indeed if it had been it would have been very unwise to keep it on his person, but what was not very large to Thorin seemed much bigger to Bilbo. The hobbit needed to prop it on his leg after a while, since it grew too heavy for him to hold up easily. 

“This is a most truly marvelous book indeed!” The hobbit exclaimed, happening upon a drawing of what the inside of Erebor had looked like. 

“Yes, which is why I keep it with me. I do not need much reminding of why I am on this quest, but when I find myself in need of inspiration I can always turn the pages of this book and be reminded of the legacy of my people which I must work to restore.” Bilbo carefully handed the book back over to Thorin, who then also took the flowers Bilbo had laid upon the ground next to them while he was reading the book. He placed the flowers in the book, shut it and put it back in his bag. “Now it can serve the purpose of inspiring you as well.” 

…

The Elvenking of the wood-elves which resided on the edge of the Mirkwood forest was by no means as cruel of a captor as he could have been to Thorin. After all they had been through the King’s dungeon was not so bad, but after what seemed like eons (though could not have been much more than a week) Thorin was feeling incredibly wretched. He was in what was probably the deepest and darkest part of the dungeon, though they did keep a touch lit near to him at most times. This torch may have been more of the benefit of his guards, but it did allow some light into his cell. He did not want the elves to know of the book he kept on his person, who knows how they would have felt about it, but he was in desperate need to be reminded of why he couldn’t reveal his quest to the Elvenking. 

So when his guards were not paying him much attention he took out the book he carried and though the light was not quite good enough for him to read by the drawings still gave him some inspiration. As he flipped through the pages he came upon the flowers that he’d put in there while talking with Mr. Baggins in the Mirkwood forest. He had nearly forgotten about these, and just as the hobbit had predicted he was now once again in darkness and these flowers brought a sense of comfort he would not have ascribed to them in any other situation. It surprised him how much these dried and pressed flowers lifted his spirits, and he felt at once much more at ease. 

Days later this comfort had worn off, and Thorin was once again feeling horrendously wretched being a captive in this place, not knowing what had become of his company and he was beginning to feel he might never escape this place. It was when he was feeling most low, and considering telling the Elvenking all about his quest in exchange for his freedom, that he heard a voice at his keyhole that sounded most strangely like that of Mr. Baggins.

As it turned out it was indeed the voice of their company’s little hobbit, and once Bilbo had explained to Thorin all that had happened since his capture (Bilbo had been responsible for the rescue of the entire company from the giant, evil spiders of Mirkwood) Thorin had little doubt that the somehow invisible hobbit would save them from this dark and dreary place. The Dwarf had a new found respect for the hobbit, and to his own surprise he no longer looked to the pictures in his book for inspiration, but to the flowers Mr. Baggins had been responsible for instead.


End file.
